Heed the Storm
Keshi
The stars stretched and snapped as the shuttle tore from hyperspace, its sleek, obsidian form slicing into the void like a blade through silk. The vessel bore no sigils, no declaration of allegiance — only a whisper of power that clung to its hull like the chill of space itself. Within, silence reigned, broken only by the low hum of energy systems and the storm-slick voice of anticipation waiting to be spoken. Beyond the transparisteel canopy, the world of Keshi came into view. Nyxira stood near the viewport, her dark cloak pooling around her as she gazed down upon the planet. But her attention did not linger on the surface for long.
A ripple passed through the Force.
Faint blips on the shuttle's sensors lit up in rapid succession — a dozen or more small craft drifting in the planet's orbit. Strange silhouettes, jagged and rusted, marked them for what they were even before their transponders were picked up: pirates.
Unorganized. Opportunistic. Pathetic. Nyxira's smirk bloomed slowly, her violet eyes narrowing with dangerous amusement. "How charming," she murmured, turning her head slightly toward Serina, who stood beside her like a coiled serpent waiting to strike. "It seems fate is generous today." She took a step closer to the viewport, her gloved fingers brushing against the edge of the console as the ship began to adjust its course. The pirate fleet — fractured, unaware — loomed around a planet they did not understand. But soon, they would serve a different purpose.
"Keshi is no interesting planet," Nyxira mused, voice low. "But was once home to Valery Noble. How fitting, then, that your first true lesson be taught here." She turned to face Serina fully,"We're going to land. I sense a pocket of them grounded nearby. I'm going to teach you how to sustain yourself by draining their very essence from their bodies."
Another smirk — this one sharper, darker.
"Once the pirates are gone, we'll leave a message for our Jedi friends as well."
The shuttle dipped toward Keshi, its black silhouette swallowed by starlight and silence, as above them, the pirates remained blissfully unaware that the true predators had arrived.